What Lies Within - Prelude to 100 Year Quest
by SweetLoveAngel2
Summary: Actions have consequences and nobody was more aware of it than Lucy Heartfilia. After what had happened during the last war, things changed; things she wished hadn't. She couldn't tell Natsu, not after everything he'd been through. Natsu was one of the strongest people she knew, but if he ever were to find out about this secret she shared with Gray, he'd break for sure. NaLu
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys,**

**It's been a while again, but I'm proud to say that I've passed all my exams and I've officially started my final year at Thomas More! I hope I'll have more free time to write, but my Bachelor paper will probably demand a lot of my time, so we'll see.**

**About the story****; I wrote this way back when Lucy opened the book of E.N.D. in the manga (CH 535), so it's been on my laptop like forever. I just didn't feel like uploading it then because of the spoiler alert, but now that its episode aired recently, I feel fully comfortable with uploading it now.**

**I don't think I've ever written chapters this short, but since I still haven't been able to finish my other (longer) stories, maybe this one will be my first finished one. The next few chapters are ready as well, and they're around the same length at this one. I think it'll finish at around 10 chapters.**

**Side note****: I have NOT started 100 year quest yet so I have no clue if this story is even possible in between as a prelude to it so please bear with me on this.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and sadly never will...**

* * *

**SweetLoveAngel2**

**What Lies Within: Prelude to 100 Year Quest - Chapter 1**

* * *

Natsu woke with a start, his heartbeat drumming in his ears and his breathing erratic. Tears blurred his vision and he almost didn't catch Happy's worried gaze when he frantically looked around the room in search for any sign of danger.

"I'm ok," he breathed after a moment, reminding himself that the war was over, and the danger had passed. He tried steadying his breathing, his fists clenching from the effort. It'd been a while since he'd had that dream again, but it still shook him to his core. He looked up at Happy, his own onyx eyes locking with the feline's worried ones. He felt his stomach twist and churn, his emotions one big mess as the images of fire and destruction still flashed before his eyes.

He shook his head, desperately banning the violent images from his mind. He took a few deep breaths; the fresh air cooling the building fire in his chest and forced his pulse back to a steady beat before he jumped out of his bed.

"Where are you going?" Happy asked when Natsu suddenly rushed for the door, scarf in hand and ready to set out into the night.

"I gotta go see her," he answered and Happy almost didn't have time to react.

"Wait!" he yelled after his friend, "you can't!"

Natsu paused, but the look in his eyes told Happy that he'd have to come up with a damn good excuse to convince the Dragon Slayer.

"It's the middle of the night. You can't just barge in on her." Happy tried to reason, but the expression on Natsu's face said enough. By this point, Natsu had already closed the door behind him and was well on his way towards Lucy's apartment.

Happy rushed after him, noticing the determination that seemed to push Natsu on. When the exceed finally caught up to his friend he tried again, "Natsu, she's been through a lot as well. What if she needs more time?"

This made him stop dead in his tracks. Natsu knew that the war had taken a toll on Lucy. He didn't know what exactly had happened, but for some reason, she seemed different. At first, he thought it was because she needed some time for things to calm down, but a month had passed, and she still wasn't back to her old self.

"I feel like I'm losing her," he admitted in a quiet voice, his heart throbbing painfully at the thought.

Happy felt torn. Lucy was one of his best friends and he had made her a promise. One that he couldn't break because Natsu was his best friend, too, and he didn't want to see him get hurt.

Natsu let out a deep sigh and turned his gaze to the dark sky above. "Why is everything so messed up?" he asked the stars, though he knew they wouldn't answer him. "She used to tell me everything, but lately, it feels like she's pushing me away." Natsu turned his gaze at his best friend, looking for answers. "Is she? Or am I just imagining things?"

Happy didn't know how to respond to that because Lucy was indeed pushing Natsu away. "I- I don't know." Happy choked out, the lump in his throat quite evident.

"You'd tell me, right? If something was wrong?" The desperation in Natsu's voice didn't go unnoticed by the feline and it all but pushed him over the edge.

Happy felt the tears well up in his eyes, but he couldn't turn away from Natsu. "I-I'm sorry."

Natsu's eyes widened in understanding, but he couldn't feel betrayed. He knew how much Happy loved them both equally.

"What's going on?" Natsu tried not to yell, but his concern and fear took over control of his voice. "Is she okay?!"

"I c-can't." Happy sobbed. "I p-promised her."

Those words were enough for Natsu to take action and he found himself, yet again, in a rush to go see his blonde companion.

* * *

"Gray." Lucy's voice was husky, barely audible as she breathed against his shoulder. "Please," she pleaded, "don't stop."

Gray let out a deep breath, his head flopping down against hers. "Juvia's going to be home soon," he stated, trying to catch his breath.

"So?" Lucy inquired, a hazy look in her eyes as she looked at him.

"You know that if we go another round, I won't be able to just stop." Gray sighed when Lucy didn't seem convinced. "C'mon, we gotta get you cleaned up. Otherwise a certain Dragon Slayer is gonna notice something's up."

"I think he already suspects something, though." Lucy confessed as she let Gray help her get off the bed.

"What?!" Gray screeched, complete and utter panic in his voice. "He'll kill me for sure when he finds out!"

Lucy couldn't help but giggle at his outburst. "No, he won't. He'll understand," she said as she bent down to pick up her blouse.

"Yeah, right." Gray scoffed. "Is that why you haven't told him yet? Because he'll understand?" The tone in Gray's voice didn't go unnoticed by her, but Lucy didn't quite feel like discussing it further. If and when she'd tell Natsu wasn't a topic she was too keen about, so she just ignored Gray's comment and disappeared into his bathroom.

Gray noticed the silence that ensued, his stomach twisting from the guilt. He knew he shouldn't push the topic with Lucy, but Natsu was his best friend and he hated lying about this. He wanted to get everything out and into the open, but he was also terrified of how Natsu would react to all this.

"You know," Lucy's voice dragged him from his thoughts, "when he finds out, he'll probably be more hurt by me than angry at you." Gray felt his throat close up. This was never what he wanted.

His eyes searched for Lucy's, trying to find some reassurance in hers, but she didn't look at him, her hands busy trying to fix her messy hair as she gazed out the window.

"How did things get so messed up?" she wondered aloud, the incoming clouds in the distance making her feel uneasy.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it. The next chapter will be up around next weekend, but first, do tell me what you guys think!**

**I've never attempted to write very short chapters because I was always afraid I wouldn't be able to tell the story well.**

**(I'll try and work on my other stories as well, but I can't make any promises! I know a lot of you have been asking about Changing Ends and A Princess' Dragon Tale, so I'll try my best!)**

**For now, thanks for your support!**

**Love, Angel xx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey hey!**

**So as I've told some of you already, I had meant to upload the first chapter last Friday, but it ended up being uploaded on Monday instead. So yay, this means you don't have to wait another 4 days for this chapter! Also, from now on, I'll try and upload it every Friday, but it could be a day or two later if my weekend's busy.**

**First of all, I'd like to thank my reviewers; ****DoomMarine55, BlakeReese, steellord, and zahad dragneel****! Thanks so much for the support and love!**

**To ****Ushindeshi: Thanks for being my first reviewer! This story is dedicated to you!**

**To aehwcp14, ****agrace9200, ****_Alex556_, ****annjenish, ****AsaKou4515, ****bahall1964, ****BlakeReese, ****grapeytae, ****Jenallison, ****lokiwinners, ****longliveff, ****lovemyrainbowsakura, ****Lucy Usui, ****nico2883, ****Osheya, ****raquitica333, ****raywarren17, ****ShadeSlayer323, ****steellord, ****suzaanoelofse01, ****TsukinoFadilah, ****Ufimia Knightwalker, ****Ushindeshi, ****raywarren17, ****schnien21, ****toshiro and sakura 4 ever; Thanks for the follow and/or favourite!**

**Enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and sadly never will...**

* * *

**SweetLoveAngel2**

**What Lies Within: Prelude to 100 Year Quest - Chapter 02**

* * *

**Dedicated to ****Ushindeshi for being my first reviewer.**

"Natsu, are you okay?" At the mention of his name, Natsu snapped out of his daze, his thoughts pulled back in an instant.

"Yeah," he lied, flashing a half-hearted grin at Mira.

The silver-haired beauty frowned, her hands stopping mid-action as she stared back at the Fire Mage.

"Don't give me that look, Mira. I'm fine," he stated, averting his eyes from her prying ones. He let out a deep sigh, knowing the young woman hadn't believed a word he had said. "And even if I'm not fine, I will be again. I just need some time to-" He paused. He actually didn't know what he needed time for. To adjust? To accept? To forgive?

As he tried looking for an answer, his mind wandered back to that morning.

Never before had he run so fast as then. Never before had he felt such dread boiling up inside him as in that moment. He just had to see her. He had to make sure she was alright. Happy had really done a number on him and not quite knowing what was going on was making him more and more anxious by the second.

When he had finally arrived at Lucy's apartment he didn't even try to be discreet and just barged into her room. Panic had settled in when he noticed she wasn't there, but he forced himself to be calm and rational for once.

He took a whiff of the air and a frown crept on his face when he recognised the faint scent of Gray. Had something happened? Had she needed help? Had she asked Gray for help instead of him?

These questions had swum around in his head until he decided that thinking hadn't been such a good idea after all. He was a man of action and so he had done the only think he knew how to do; act without thought.

He'd sniffed her out in the early hours, following her scent to Gray's house, but once there, he stopped dead in his tracks. His body just wouldn't move, his hand frozen inches away from the wooden door that he knew separated her from him. He needed to see her, but unless his ears were playing tricks on him, he had just heard something he wished he hadn't.

Suddenly, he felt like he had to throw up, his thoughts violently pulled back to the present by the horrible feeling in his stomach. He gripped the barstool beneath him with such force, the wood began to splinter, but he forced the awful feeling back down.

They were two of his best friends. If he couldn't be happy for them, could he really call himself their friend? This thought occurred to him for a moment, but both the physical pain and the pain in his heart crippled his resolve.

Why did this hurt so much? Was it because they were his friends? Did he feel left out? Or betrayed?

Natsu's gaze was drawn to Lucy. She was sitting next to Levy, talking excitedly about some book they were reading. Her smile was so beautiful. He'd missed seeing it. But most of all, he had missed the smiles that were directed at him.

"Lucy, what's wrong?!"

The sudden commotion had Natsu to his feet and ready to rush to her side when he, for the second time that day, stopped dead in his tracks. He didn't even hear Mira question his actions, his mind in too much of a turmoil.

Why? Why did it hurt seeing Gray help her? Why did he want to burn everything down when Gray carried her out the guild? Why couldn't he stop them from leaving? Because he loved them?

Then why was he in so much pain? Was it because they didn't tell him? Or because his heart had shattered into a million pieces?

"They're dating, Mira." His voice came out fragile and broken. "I've lost her again."

* * *

"Gray-sama, there you are," Juvia called out to him when she saw him running towards her on the busy street. "Juvia was looking f-" When the young woman saw the blonde in his arms, however, concern took over her voice. "What's happened?"

"Go get Wendy!" Gray ordered, panic crystal clear in his voice.

Juvia immediately understood the distress in his voice and ran towards Fairy Hills as fast as she could.

"Hang on, Lucy!" Gray pleaded with her, hoping she could still hear him.

A few minutes later, he arrived at her house, kicking the door open with so much force it broke off its hinges.

He carefully laid Lucy on her bed and started to unbutton her blouse. "Damn it, Lucy," he cursed, "why'd you decide on this getup today?" After fumbling with the third button, he lost his patience and just ripped the garment off of her, not wanting to waste any more time.

"Shit," Gray muttered when he saw the dark marks on Lucy's pale skin. The darkness had already spread to her stomach and was now creeping further up her neck, making it harder for her to breathe.

As soon as Gray touched the infected skin, the darkness in his bones flared up as well, bringing out the Devil Slayer Magic in a strong reaction.

"Gray-san, I'm here!" Wendy said when she arrived at Lucy's apartment. She didn't hesitate for a moment, assessing the situation in record time and decided that enhancing Gray's magic would be the best option at the moment.

"I thought you said you had it handled." Carla's snarky comment didn't leave much room for concern.

"How come Lucy is deteriorating so fast?" Juvia asked. "Didn't you just treat her?"

"I did, this morning," Gray gritted out, the effort it was taking him making him more and more frustrated.

Juvia frowned at that, but didn't dwell too long on it. She had more pressing things to worry about at the moment.

* * *

**Do tell me what you think of this second chapter!**

**Next chapter, (probably) on Friday!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, as promised, an update on Friday!**

**Let me first thank all those that have reviewed this story;**

**To ****Ushindeshi****: I loved that you were the first one to write a review again. Within the hour of the update even! Thank you very much!**

**To ****Alex556****, ****steellord****, and ****Geekyjuvia25****: Thanks for your curiosity and enthusiasm! Hope the next chapter will shed some light for your guys.**

**To ****ipromiseimnotatotaldweeb****: I got really happy and giddy when I read your review! It's not a one shot, indeed. I think it'll be roughly around 10 chapters or so. I'm still rewriting the end because I somehow wasn't quite satisfied yet. To be honest, you review made me so happy, I was almost tempted to upload this chapter that Sunday, but I was able to restrain myself!**

**To ** **, ****SxEGirl****, ****SwordofAchilles****, ****Paralelepipedo**** 14, ****DragonHeart1617****, ****OrcaDM****, ****KickingAnders****, ****shelbylynn093****, ****samantha****de souza morais****, ****Geekyjuvia25****, and ****xmagicalfairyx, ****agrawaldivyansh462****, ****keyeung****, ****SeeMeInTheShadows****, ****Nova1487****, ****Shaula78****: Welcome to the story!**

**With all that said, enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and sadly never will...**

* * *

**SweetLoveAngel2**

**What Lies Within: Prelude to 100 Year Quest - Chapter 03**

* * *

"What're you talking about, Natsu?" Mira didn't understand what was even going on anymore.

"They're dating. I found out this morning." He sat himself back on the barstool, his back facing Mira as he leaned against the bar.

"And you're sure of this?" Mira couldn't believe it because as Fairy Tail's Matchmaker, she was quite certain about her deducing skills. And she had often picked up on interesting clues that couldn't possibly result in Lucy and Gray getting together.

"Yes, I heard them when I went over to Gray's house this morning. They were doing-" Natsu felt his stomach lurch again. "-stuff."

"You're such an idiot!" Mira said before she wacked him across the head.

Natsu, who had fallen down to the ground, looked back up at her with a hurt look in his eyes as he rubbed the sore spot on his head.

Mira hadn't used violence with him in a long time, but she was just so sick of everybody always being such dense idiots.

"Natsu Dragneel," Mira raised her voice, a dark aura emanating from her. "you are going to go check up on them. Right now!" Natsu wanted to protest, but Mira didn't even give the poor boy a chance. "No! You care about her! She's your friend! So what if she's together with someone else – which I highly doubt for that matter because I know about her feelings – what's stopping you from helping her? Isn't she more important than your hurt feelings?" Mira was absolutely fuming at this point. How was she ever going to become an aunt if those two idiots just wouldn't open their eyes. "Go. Now."

Natsu didn't waste a second. He ran out the guild as fast as he could, pushing down the throbbing feelings in his chest. Mira was right. Even if she wasn't with him, the important thing was that she was happy and healthy. She was his best friend and she had always been there for him. Now, he had the chance to make up for those years of friendship and love.

"Natsu," Happy all but flew into his face when Natsu turned to the source of the voice. "I've been looking all over for you!" Happy exclaimed, settling on top of Natsu's head as he let out a few relieved purrs. "I was so worried."

"Sorry, buddy," Natsu apologized as he continued to follow Lucy's scent. "but it doesn't matter anymore. Right now, we need to go see Lucy. She's sick and I think Gray took her to her apartment."

At this, Happy perched up. "W-we can't-"

Natsu interrupted him before the feline could even come up with a good excuse not to go. "It's alright, Happy, I know." Natsu reached up and gave Happy a reassuring stroke on his head to show him he was indeed alright.

"You know about them?" Happy seemed uncertain, but didn't question Natsu further on it, knowing it must've been hard enough as it was. "It's going to be alright, Natsu. We'll fix this. We can still get her back."

* * *

"Are you two alright?" Juvia asked as she handed Gray and Wendy a glass of water.

"Yeah, it just takes more and more effort to keep the darkness at bay." Gray breathed before downing the cold liquid.

"I just don't understand why this isn't working," Wendy said, the frustration in her voice now evident as well. "This is the sixth big episode that she's had. What if we can't save her next t-"

"Don't you dare say that, Wendy!" Gray cut her off.

"Don't yell at her," Carla reprimanded, "she's trying as hard as you are!"

Gray let out a sigh. "I know, sorry. I just wish it wouldn't come back. I feel like every time we push it down, it fights back even harder."

"You guys talking about me?" All heads turned to the door through which Natsu had just walked in. "I just came to check up on her. How's she doing?" His worried gaze shifted towards his partner and he felt his stomach churn for a whole other reason again.

"She still has a fever, but we've managed to-" Wendy paused, looking at Gray for a moment, knowing they were still keeping it a secret from Natsu.

"It's okay," Happy chirped in, "Natsu knows about it."

"Happy!" Natsu silenced the feline, looking over at Juvia. He didn't know if Juvia was in on this secret as well. He could only imagine how hurt she must be. Well, actually, he knew how she felt because she probably felt as broken as he was now that she had lost her precious Gray-sama to Lucy. "Let's not talk about that. I just want to know if Lucy's going to be alright."

"She will be, but we'll need to find a better solution for this because otherwise it's only going to get worse," Wendy elaborated.

"I agree," Gray finally spoke up, "I think it's time we figure this out once and for all." Everyone nodded in agreement at his statement. "I suggest we leave first thing tomorrow and head up north. I think the colder climate will do her good. Also, I'd like to visit my hometown Isvan. Maybe I can find some information left by my dad that could help us."

Natsu didn't quite understand what was going on, but as long as Lucy would be fine, he didn't care about the specifics.

"Alright, since Lucy-san is stable now, I'll head home and prepare for tomorrow," Wendy said as she gave Lucy one final look before she left with Carla.

"If it's alright with you," Natsu turned to address Gray, "I'd like to stay with her tonight. We've got some things to talk about."

A shiver ran down Gray's spine when Natsu actually asked him for permission for something. This had never happened before and it kind of freaked him out. Gray was happy Natsu wasn't mad at them for keeping it a secret, but he had never thought he'd take it this well.

"S-sure. Go ahead." Gray didn't quite know how to react to this weird version of Natsu. "I'm not sure she'll have enough energy to talk, but if she does, go easy on her. She just didn't want to hurt you." Gray paused for a moment. "Oh, and Natsu, don't touch her. By now, I don't think I need to explain why."

This made a sharp pain jolt through his chest, but all Natsu could do was nod before both Gray and Juvia left the room. Natsu could hear Gray fumble with the broken door as he settled down on the ground next to Lucy's bed.

"I know it's difficult, Natsu, but when this is over, you'll be able to touch her again." Happy tried to cheer him up, but it didn't quite have the desired effect.

"Try to get some sleep, buddy. T'morrow's gonna be a long day." Natsu ruffled the feline's fur before he rested his head on the comfy covers he'd grown so accustomed to and let out a deep sigh. "I hope you're happy, Luce."

* * *

**Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

**Next update: Friday!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys!**

**So, first, let me thank all of you for your loving support! I really appreciate it! I've been quite busy with school this week, so I've had to edit this story this morning. So apologies for the late upload.**

**To ****grapeytae**** and ****Forbidden-Hanyou****: Thank you so much for your awesome reviews! I was quite worried that the story itself wouldn't be as original since nearly the entire fandom had been wondering how Lucy could've gotten away with messing with E.N.D.'s book so easily. So I thought that this kind of story had already been written by some, if not a lot of people. I'm glad to hear you're so enthusiastic about this story. It warms my heart!**

**To ****Ushindeshi****, ****steellord****, ****cosmictrap****, and ****zahad dragneel****: Thanks for leaving a review! I love the misunderstanding as well, though I haven't quite thought about how to resolve it yet. Let's just say I'm equally as curious as to how this is going to end as you guys are!**

**Krazy-Kattz****, ****khamm424****, ****Horizxn****, ****AaronAirG****, ****Forbidden-Hanyou****, ****aldhfli****, ****TheFanfictionMaster****, ****cosmictrap****, ****hapiflower****, ****heyitsmeduhnat****, ****SxEGirl****, ****Cuni8****, and ****lucasarya****: I also want to thank you for following and/or favoriting this story! I'll continue to try and write something worth the read!**

**On with the story; enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and sadly never will...**

* * *

**SweetLoveAngel2**

**What Lies Within: Prelude to 100 Year Quest - Chapter 04**

* * *

The next morning came way too slow for some and the mood in the group was quite tense. Natsu had stayed up all night, hoping Lucy would be awake enough at some point to be able to talk, but her fever had kept her in a deep sleep throughout the night.

Gray hadn't slept a wink either, his thoughts with Lucy and Natsu. Mostly, he was concerned Lucy would have another episode, but he was also worried that Dragon wouldn't be able to keep his paws off of her and make the situation worse. On top of that, Juvia had tried to calm him down, which had the complete opposite effect because he hated worrying her.

They had been well on their way towards the icy town of Isvan when Natsu suddenly felt the need to talk about his pent-up feelings. The lack of sleep and the questions and thoughts were finally taking a toll on him and he just couldn't take it anymore.

He felt absolutely miserable. Not because of the swaying train wagon, because Wendy had been so kind to cast Troia on him, but because he had to witness Gray fuss over Lucy during the entire trip up until now.

"Juvia, can we talk for a bit?" Natsu asked as he made his way out of the wagon.

"Sure," Juvia answered as she followed him to the diner car, "is something wrong?"

"Doesn't it bother you?" he blurted out, "seeing those two so close."

"Juvia's surprised it bothers Natsu-san. Natsu-san usually doesn't pay attention to such things." Juvia tilted her head, trying to figure out what was going on in the Dragon Slayer's head as she looked into his conflicted eyes.

"It just hurts, you know. Not being able to do something," he confessed.

"Juvia knows how Natsu-san feels. Every time they need to see each other Juvia tries to help, but there's not much Juvia can do but watch them."

"What?"

Natsu was dumbfounded. Did Juvia watch them when they were together? Was that the kind of relationship those three had? Was that why she wasn't bothered by this as much as he was?

These kinds of thoughts made his face heat up uncomfortably and it just got too much for him. He needed to get away. Maybe some fresh air would do him some good.

Juvia watched his retreating back with confusion on her face, unsure if she should've run after him. She couldn't shake the concern she felt as she went back to their wagon. She hadn't seen that expression on Natsu's face before and it made a frown creep up her own as the uneasiness started to grow.

"What was that all about?" Gray asked, his tired eyes locking with hers.

"Juvia is not sure. Natsu-san seems a bit worried because Natsu-san can't help Lucy-san even though Natsu-san wants to. Juvia thinks Natsu-san's not sure what to do because Natsu-san's never had to just watch and wait." Juvia sat down next to Gray who rested his head on her shoulder.

"Natsu isn't one to wait patiently, that's for sure," he muttered as his eyes started to droop closer.

"Now that Juvia thinks of it, was Lucy-san at Gray-sama's house yesterday morning?" she inquired, drawing circles on the back of his hand.

This sobered him up, his entire body remembering how much energy he had consumed that night and it made him shudder.

"Yeah, she had had another episode during the night. She barely made it to our house because Loke had been affected by the darkness when he tried to carry her to us. I spent all night to try and get her conscious again."

"But didn't Gray-sama just treat Lucy-san the other day?" She swallowed thickly at the new information, knowing that Lucy was truly getting worse by the day if Gray's magic was proving to be less and less affective.

"How many sessions did it take?" she asked, looking over at the sleeping blonde on the couch in front of her.

"Three. And even after the third, she still wasn't fully in control." Gray let out a deep sigh as he nuzzled his face in Juvia's neck, making her smile a bit. "E.N.D.'s book really did a number on her."

"Why didn't you start a fourth session?" Wendy suddenly chirped in, but Gray had already fallen asleep.

"The exorcism sessions take a lot out of both of them," Juvia explained. "Juvia doesn't think it would've been wise to subject them to so many sessions in a row."

"Doesn't it worry you that even Gray is having difficulties with taming this demonic power?" Carla asked. "He's a devil slayer, shouldn't he be getting the upper hand by now?"

"It does worry me, Carla." Wendy looked at the sleeping blonde on her lap. "At this rate, we'll lose this fight."

* * *

After the group had arrived in Isvan, they set out in search for some information regarding the demonic aura that was taking over their friend. Natsu wisely chose to steer clear of Juvia because every time he looked at the girl, he couldn't help but imagine weird things. So he opted to stay at the hotel with Lucy, who was now up and about. She hadn't regained her full strength yet, but she was sentient enough to beg Natsu to help her with her manuscript. She couldn't quite use her right arm yet, so she asked Natsu to write some stuff down for her.

If the Celestial Mage hadn't been so sick, Natsu would surely have found an excuse not to because – let's face it – he hated writing and reading. Her pleading chocolate eyes were irresistible to him, however, and he caved rather quickly.

Meanwhile, Wendy and the Exceeds were following up on a lead, while Gray took Juvia to the ruins of his old home.

"Gray-sama." Juvia's voice was barely over a whisper, but she didn't dare to disturb the quiet of this place. "If Juvia needs to go-"

"No," he cut her off, grabbing her hand before she could turn away. "Please stay." His hand trembled in hers, squeezing it ever so slightly as he looked down at the old wooden cross that marked his parents' grave. "I'm glad you're here with me, Juvia." Gray whispered as he buried his head in her neck.

"Juvia will always be by Gray-sama's side." She hugged him as hard as she could, trying to convey her feelings.

* * *

"Lucy, don't you think we need to talk about this?" Natsu asked when Lucy had taken a moment to think about the next chapter of her book.

"What? You think there's something wrong with the story?" The slight raise in her voice alerted Natsu that he had made her worry. Though he felt a bit bad, he also found it amusing given their current predicament.

"No, weirdo." He laughed. "I mean about you and Gray."

Lucy let out a sigh. She knew he would bring this up sooner or later. "Natsu, I-" She didn't quite know what to say to him. She didn't even want to talk about this right now.

Natsu could sense she was getting uncomfortable and knowing how much he himself hated talking about his own feelings, he could sympathise with her. So he dropped it, for now. At least until she was ready to talk to him about it on her own terms.

He couldn't deny the fact that he felt hurt by this, however. She used to be able to tell him everything, but now that she was happy and had found a boyfriend, she couldn't seem to talk to him about it. He just couldn't understand this whole situation.

"Alright, fine. Let's finish your chapter first." He relented.

She was his weak spot after all.

* * *

**Originally, I wanted to end this chapter before Natsu's little conversation with Lucy, but I wasn't comfortable with the length of the chapter. Especially since I already made you guys wait half a day since I had been planning on updating the chapter this morning at nine. So, consider this a small compensation for having to wait. Guess it's also a little present because you've all been so excited and supporting!**

**Thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts!**

**Love, Angel**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys!**

**So I had the most tiring week ever. School work is just draining me and I've had to write half this chapter this morning because I just didn't have the time between classes, excursions, and obligatory information sessions after school.**

**The chapters that had been prewritten are all officially uploaded, so I guess the next chapters will be as much as a surprise to me as they will be to you guys.**

**But finally, here's the latest chapter! **

**Let me first thank all of those that have left a review; To ****Ushindeshi**** and ****steellord****: Thanks for the encouraging words. I think you'll like this chapter a bit more than last week's ;)**

**Then, to all those that have joined this story; you guys are awesome: ****Brittney****Gurley****, ****NaLu1411****, ****QueenNova78****, ****Fanficxxlover****, ****Namikaze-Sama808****, ****JinxTitan****, ****commandercookies34****, ****JcL107****, ****Talia****D'vile****, ****Fallen Angel Codester****, and ****Ayame77****!**

**Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and sadly never will...**

* * *

**SweetLoveAngel2**

**What Lies Within: Prelude to 100 Year Quest - Chapter 05**

* * *

When they had arrived in the big library, Wendy had been quite surprised to find so much information about demons there. Especially since the town had been destroyed by one so many years ago. She was glad, though, that these people had chosen to stock up on information for future events, rather than to try and forget about the demons altogether.

They had been searching for useful information for the last couple of hours, but finding texts on E.N.D. in general had proven to be a harder task than they'd initially thought. How hard could it be to find information about the most notorious demon in history? Well, it turned out that even though E.N.D. was known for being Zeref's most powerful demon ever created, even the basic information about appearance and powers seemed to be non-existent at all.

The gut-wrenching feeling Wendy felt in her stomach did nothing to calm her nerves. She wasn't an idiot. Information didn't just go up in smoke; not even Zeref would've gone to such lengths. No, if there was no information on the demon E.N.D. it just meant that those who had encountered him never had a chance at telling the tale.

Knowing Natsu – the person she looked up to most – was supposed to be this ruthless monster was still something she couldn't quite believe. She had seen his destructiveness, yes, but to be able to lay waste to everything around you, even living creatures, was something she would never believe Natsu capable of. She knew Natsu wasn't a bad person and even though he sometimes struggled with reeling in his powers, he'd never lost control before.

"Are you alright?" A soft paw rubbed against Wendy's bare thigh, drawing soothing circles on her numb leg. She looked at Carla, a soft smile forming on her lips as she repositioned herself to get some blood flow to her legs.

"It's just-" Wendy paused for a moment. "What if we can't find anything about E.N.D. because it's Natsu?" She swallowed thickly. "I mean- We know him!" she raised her voice, the fear echoing through the empty library and bouncing off dusty books and delicate scrolls. "Natsu's a good person. He's crazy strong, but he's also compassionate and kind. He cares about others more than himself and he'd gladly give his own life for any of us! How could he ever-" Her voice cracked at the thought and Happy – who had been watching his friends from atop a shelf – felt her pain and confusion to his very core, but he couldn't react.

"Yes," Carla answered, a small smile on her face as she tried to comfort Wendy, "maybe."

Carla's words didn't make Wendy feel any better, though, because the young Dragon Slayer didn't even believe the hopeful words that had left her own trembling lips.

The look in Wendy's eyes made Carla's heart throb. "You're right, Wendy. Maybe we can't find anything because he never did anything bad. Even demons have a mind of their own, and Natsu never was one to follow orders anyway."

"W-we shouldn't think about this," Happy said in a small voice, but Wendy had easily picked up on it. "E.N.D.'s gone. Natsu made his decision and he chose to be human. So, stop imagining scary stuff!" The feline's voice had risen, and Wendy realized she had made the little guy worry about topics he had probably tried to avoid.

Wendy wiped at her eyes and the sullen look on her face was replaced by a big grin. "I'm sorry, Happy," she said. "You're right. Natsu's still the Natsu we know and right now we should be focusing on Lucy instead."

* * *

"Natsu, stop messing around!"

"No way!" he yelled, clutching the brown bag to his chest with all his might as he turned away from his friend when she tried to grab it. "You're supposed to be resting. You're in no condition to go out. I won't allow it." He jumped on the bed, holding Lucy's bag high out of reach and looked down at her with serious eyes.

The blonde let out a big sigh and slumped down to the ground in defeat, her chin resting on the soft sheets as she glanced up at her partner through her loose bangs.

Words couldn't describe how she had missed this. How she had missed him.

"Are you alright, Lucy?" Natsu was down on his knees in an instant, his stomach clenching with worry when he looked down at her. Was her fever back? He reached out to check, but he paused, his hand stopping short of her forehead when Gray's annoying words rang through his head again. He suddenly felt stupid for having to listen to that ice popsicle and he wondered what Gray would be more upset about; him not helping Lucy, or him touching her?

"I missed you." The three simple words had his mind spinning for other reasons entirely and he instinctively backed away. The look in her eyes made his stomach flip and he suddenly felt his throat close up. "Did you miss me too, Natsu?"

He swallowed thickly and let himself fall back onto the bed, the bag in his hand long forgotten as he tried to contain his raging feelings. "Of course I missed ya, Lucy," he said, trying his hardest not to sound too desperate.

She smiled at him, a few giggles escaping as she sat up and leaned in closer. "Good," she said, the happiness in her eyes freezing Natsu in place. It had been a while since he'd seen her smile like this, and he wished it could erase those scary images that had haunted him for the last couple of months.

The smile on her face faded rather quickly, however, when she saw his expression. "Natsu, I'm sorry we haven't talked as much lately, I-" She turned her eyes away. She just didn't know how to say it; how not to hurt him.

Was she even ready to talk about this? She didn't know. She just wanted Natsu to be happy and the realization dawned on her that she had been causing him pain for these last couple of weeks by avoiding him.

She knew, however, how he'd react. He'd either react like this; hurt, but overly protective. Or he'd shut down completely, letting the guilt get to him because he hadn't been able to keep her safe. And in his fear to hurt her, he might've even left her again.

That was something she wouldn't be able to handle; not again. Was she selfish for wanting to keep him close? She thought about the irony of avoiding him to try and keep him from leaving.

She glanced back at him, his eyes still on her, waiting patiently for once, and she knew she couldn't keep doing this. Right now, he could even be thinking he'd done something wrong, which wasn't the case at all.

"I just couldn't involve you, Natsu." She just wanted to protect him for a change, and she hoped he knew that.

"Involve me? Lucy, did you really think I couldn't handle knowing this?" Her silence and guilty expression said it all, and he somehow felt betrayed. Didn't she know him at all?

"Natsu, I'm s-"

"Let's go." Somehow, he didn't want to hear her apologies. He wasn't running away, but he just couldn't stand being alone with her right now, the pain was eating at him even if he tried to push the feelings down. He didn't want to lash out at her, so a distraction was his best option right now. "You wanted to go into town, right? Here." He pushed her bag into her hands and climbed off the bed, grabbing his overcoat.

"Y-you're coming with me?" The question wasn't a strange one, especially since she had a feeling Natsu didn't quite want to be alone with her.

"Of course, Gray would kill me if I'd let you go alone."

* * *

"Wendy," Happy called from one of the upper shelves of a bookcase.

"If this is about your fish again, we don't want to hear it." Carla snapped at the other feline.

"N-no." Happy still hadn't gotten used to her attitude after all this time, but it didn't stop him from still trying to win her over. "In fact, I think I found something."

At this, both Wendy and Carla perked up.

"It's a book about something called Demonic Energy." Happy flew down and showed them the golden-rimmed book.

Wendy was so glad Lucy had lent her her gale-force reading glasses when she saw how big the book was and dust even flew up as she opened the big leather cover. She didn't quite know what they were looking for, but even the smallest piece of information would've been highly appreciated at that point.

She swallowed thickly, the negative thoughts entering her mind again for a moment, but she pushed them back and started reading. She skimmed through the pages at such speed, Happy was getting a headache trying to watch the passing pages.

It wasn't until Wendy had reached the final chapter that the tension and anticipation was broken by her voice. "I've found something," she said, her finger following the old writing in the book. "Demon infested items – or demonic vessels - often transfer energy through physical touch as a defence mechanism." She then turned to face Happy again. "You said before that she had touched the book, but it only reacted to her when she tried rewriting the content, right?" Happy nodded, his paws leaning on Wendy's thigh as he tried to get a better look at the intricate drawings on the page in front of her.

"What does dae- daemo-" Happy struggled with the foreign words, his reading skills not quite on a par with Wendy's and ended up just pointing at the strange words in bold letters.

Wendy tilted her head in thought, but had to admit she didn't know the answer either, "I'm not sure, Happy, but-"

"But the drawings don't bode well for Lucy." Carla interjected as she followed the inky lines over the demonic entities drawn in the corner of the book. "Because I'm pretty sure, this word right here can be translated as 'death'."

* * *

**So! What did you guys think? Last week I only got 3 reviews and – don't get me wrong, I was ecstatic – I was kind of hoping that you'd help me through my tiring week with a lot of exciting reviews so I checked my mails daily :D. I did get a bunch of new follows and favourites, so I was really excited about that!**

**Somehow, when I reread everything this morning, this chapter feels different from the others. Maybe because the other chapters advanced quite quickly, and now with this chapter, I took my time with the inner thoughts. I'm usually not that easily satisfied when writing a chapter, but with this one I feel very comfortable. I guess it gives the story more depth. What do you guys think?**

**For those who don't already know this, I also love those tragic stories. Though I didn't feel like breaking your hearts this weekend. I also wasn't quite in the mood to write those 'all hell breaks loose' scenes yet. Maybe next time? **

**Thanks for the read!**

**Update probably (hopefully) also next Friday.**

**~Angel**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys!**

**So first of all, I'd like to apologize for the late upload! My week's been so busy that I had to begin writing this chapter Thursday night. As it so happened, I lacked even the smallest amount of inspiration and had to rewrite it five times before I finally gave up.**

**Friday had been an unproductive day as well and I feared that I would never finish writing this chapter.**

**This morning, however, new ideas suddenly struck me and I finished it in one go! Yay!**

**I reread it a couple times, but there's still a chance that I missed some errors, so please don't mind them!**

**I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter because it was a hell to write it!**

**You guys left a bunch of reviews for me this week and I was totally ecstatic!**

**To ****cosmictrap**** and ****suzaanoelofse01****: I was actually planning on having Natsu and Lucy resolve their issue, but it was so hard to write! Their make up scene is so important, and I wanted it to be perfect. That's one of the reasons why I'm updating this late. I just couldn't get their feeling right on paper. Hope this chapter will at least give you a bit more insight in why he's such an ass to her right now.**

**To ****steellor****, ****Ushindeshi****, and ****Uchida Akira****: Thanks a bunch for the review! I really love how you're all enjoying this story so much!**

**To ipromiseimnotatotaldweeb: I'm always happy when I hear people read my stories in one go. This means I did a good job with the suspense and the cliff hangers to keep you enthralled. Thanks for the confirmation and recognition of my hard work!**

**To ****MollyyyAnne666****: I read your review when I was just starting with this chapter and it absolutely gave me even more motivation to try and finish this on time. Didn't quite work out the way I wanted to because I'm already a day late with updating, but your review was one of the many that made me want this chapter to be the best it could be. I didn't want to upload a half-assed chapter just to meet my deadline.**

**And finally, to ****lovemyrainbowsakura****: You are such an amazing person! You inspired me, made me feel so so so loved and cared for, and you managed to put an earsplitting grin on my face with your review. I showed your review to everyone – even those who couldn't care less about what I do in my free time! My friends all got so excited and you even got them curious about my story even though they're not even in the FT fandom!  
I always feel extremely guilty for not updating or having to update later, but your words really hit home for me and I appreciate everything you said. I've been writing on this site for six years now, and I can count the reviews that really leave this much of an impression on me on one hand! Thank you so so much for reviewing and I feel absolutely honored and privileged that my story is the first you reviewed.  
I have already reread your review so many times, I can almost recite it by heart. It means a lot to me and I don't think I'll ever lose this feeling of pride and excitement when reading it.  
If, in the future, you come across other stories that you truly enjoy, don't hesitate to leave a review! You have a way with words that just instantly makes people feel happy and giddy. I think you could inspire a lot of other writers when they're stuck with their stories and I think they'd be just as delighted as I was – and still am!**

**Also, let's not forget those you just joined this adventure; ****Uchida Akira****, ****DarkAndromeda06****, ****MollyyyAnne666****, ****KickingAnders****, ****SliverKitsuneGrlAngel****, and ****SunsetRika****: Welcome and thanks for your support!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and sadly never will...**

* * *

**SweetLoveAngel2**

**What Lies Within: Prelude to 100 Year Quest - Chapter 06**

* * *

**Dedicated to lovemyrainbowsakura, because of her marvelous review.**

Natsu and Lucy were quietly walking through the snowy streets of Isvan when the streetlamps slowly flickered on around them. It hadn't even been well past noon, but the skies had cast the entire city in a greyish gloom and Lucy absentmindedly wondered if it was somehow reflecting the miserable atmosphere between her and Natsu.

She glanced beside her, hesitant to make eye contact because she honestly didn't know how to act around him right now. She usually knew how to handle Natsu's various moods and she was actually pretty good at defusing him at his most heated moments. This mood, however, was so much harder to handle than when he was lost in one of his angry fits and she had absolutely no idea what to say or do that could shorten the unnatural distance between them.

Natsu was actively avoiding eye contact as well, the guilt of not letting her apologize properly weighing him down. The silence between them was killing him, but he just didn't know what to say.

He was angry at himself for not giving her the chance to talk to him. For weeks, he had wanted her to confide in him, to trust him, and it had hurt him so much that she had chosen to keep it to herself. Well, not entirely to herself.

He couldn't stop himself from thinking about Gray; about the two of them together. The uneasiness in his veins made his stomach flip and he was actually happy to see they had arrived at the crafts shop Lucy had wanted to visit.

"N-Natsu," She could tell by his expression that she had clearly hurt him a lot more than he had let on before and she felt the guilt and worry begin to upset her stomach. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, peachy," he grumbled, feeling agitated that she was treating him as if he was going to break down at any second. Lucy's voice had never sounded so unsure when saying his name and the painful realisation of it made his heart throb even more.

Lucy swallowed thickly, retreating her hand at his hostility. Was she making things worse? Was their friendship coming to an end? The dread filled her at the thought and she suddenly just wanted to hug him close. What if he decided there wasn't anything holding him here anymore? What if he left everything behind; not just this icy old town, but her as well?

"The shop's right over there." He nodded with his head behind her as he sat himself on one of the benches near the sidewalk.

"Will you-" She stopped herself, taking in a deep breath to calm her insecurities. "Alright," she said with a stronger voice, trying her hardest to convince herself that it would be fine. "I'll be right back."

She glanced back one more time before she pushed the door open, hoping to god – any god – that he'd wait for her.

"Will I what?" Natsu frowned. Why couldn't she just tell him what she was thinking? They were best friends, right? Then how did the rift between them get this big?

Natsu let out a strangled grumble of frustration and irritation, his hands clutching at his hair. Why was this so difficult? He let out a deep sigh and leaned back against the bench, his eyes staring at the cloudy sky to look for answers.

She had looked so worried, and it made him feel even more angry at himself. Why couldn't he just calm down? He hated seeing those expressions on her face, but for the last hour, all he'd been doing was causing them. Of course she wouldn't tell him her thoughts, he never gave her the chance to express herself. Why was that? Was he afraid to hear something he wouldn't like? Was he being selfish and trying to protect himself? If so, was it really okay to treat her like-

"Natsu, you're still here!" Lucy breathed as she ran towards him, her face red from exertion.

"Of course I'm still-" Natsu sat up when he took in her appearance; cheeks flared, hair a mess, and white puffy clouds leaving her lips as she tried to get more air into her lungs. She looked as if she had just run a marathon.

Did she-

Natsu's eyes widened when realisation hit him, and he felt like he had just received one of Erza's punches to his gut.

He was such an idiot.

* * *

Wendy sat frozen on the creaky wooden floor as she took in Carla's dreadful words. She swallowed thickly, trying not to show how shaken up she was. She knew Lucy was in danger, but she didn't know it was this bad. She could feel Happy's tiny paws shake against her skin and it made her want to hold him. He was utterly terrified of losing one of his dearest friends and Wendy could relate to that fear when she looked at Carla.

"Excuse me, miss, but I couldn't help but overhear you." A voice suddenly spoke up in the silent library and Happy nearly jumped out of his skin. "If you'd like I could give you a hand?"

"Y-yes of course." Wendy hastily got to her feet, dusted herself off and bowed politely to the elderly man. "Thank you very much, sir."

She hadn't even heard the man come in and she wondered if she had been spacing out again. Maybe she was too distracted by all the terrible things that were happening that she had lost her focus a bit. This thought lingered for a moment before the man's voice broke her concentration.

"The little white fox was right, though 'death' is only one of the many interpretations of the word," the man said as he looked down at the writings in the old book.

Happy frowned at the old man, feeling quite uneasy for some reason. "Excuse me," he chirped up, "we're not foxes. We're cats."

The old man leaned down and started at them, his old grey eyes looking quite exhausted behind his little glasses. There was something about the way he had looked at the book, however, that had happy unconsciously crawl closer to Wendy. It had almost looked like loathing, but Happy had recognised the underlying disdain quite quickly, the image of a certain Underworld King flashing through his mind.

"I do apologize, Mr. cat. My eyesight isn't what it used to be."

Wendy smiled at that for a moment, but she honestly didn't have the time for this. She didn't want to be rude, but she needed to know more and fast, her fear for Lucy's predicament growing by the minute. The old man sat himself on the wooden library ladder and stared back down at the open page, somehow lost in his thoughts. Wendy was about to question the man further, when he continued his explanation.

"While people often think about death as the end of a life, it isn't quite literally the case here. When people are infected by demonic energy, they eventually get consumed by darkness. This darkness eats away at the soul until there's nothing left. One could say these people's humanity gets tainted black and they lose themselves to the darkness. Demons are a plague on this world. They only know how to destroy."

Happy frowned at that, remembering his first encounter with the demons on Galuna Island. Those demons definitely weren't doomed to destroy anything, and he had to hold back his laughter when he even tried to imagine them taking over the world.

"Sir, do you know if there's information about a cure in one of these books or scrolls?" Wendy tried to ignore the old man's limited view on demons. She understood that it must've been hard having your loved ones hurt and your town destroyed by a demon, but generalising them all to be evil was a bit much. On the other hand, they hadn't come across a demon that was kind before so how could they possibly know of a different way?

"That's quite an interesting approach you've got there, miss, but don't you think that it's just a waste of precious energy?"

Wendy felt a shiver run down her spine at the tone in his voice. She was wrong. It wasn't like these people didn't know of another way, they just didn't care.

"So, Lu-"

"Ah!" Happy suddenly interrupted, his paws on Carla's mouth to stop her from revealing too much information to this belligerent man.

Carla was clearly irked by this, her eye twitching with underlaying anger. She wanted to react to Happy's stupidity, but the look the old man gave them, made a shiver run down her spine and she suddenly felt this overwhelming feeling of dread.

Images flashed before her eyes and she had to lean against Happy to steady herself. She had to regulate her breathing, trying to see through the fog that hid away most of the details.

When the blurry visions started to clear, the sight of a great hall came more into focus. She saw the man – apparently he was the mayor of Isvan – talking to a group of people before she was violently pulled back to the present.

"I hope I was of any help to you, miss," the man said as he slightly bowed to Wendy. "Enjoy your stay in Isvan." And with that, he left the trio behind and disappeared in the vastness of the library.

"Are you two alright?" Wendy asked as she looked at the two felines. They had both been frozen in place, panic clearly visible on their faces.

Happy quickly released Carla, his paw scratching the back of his head as he apologized to her. "I just didn't want to cause any trouble for Lucy and Natsu," he explained.

"Yeah, that was a good call," Carla agreed and Happy smiled at that, puffing his chest out with pride. "Somehow, I don't think it's wise to tell everyone about our demonic problem. We still don't know much about this town or their views on demons."

"I think I've got a pretty good idea," Wendy said as she looked back at the isle in which the man had disappeared. She then turned to Carla again, crouching down to her level before she asked her friend about the vision. It had been a while since Wendy had seen Carla's power of precognition, but it usually meant that trouble was coming their way.

"I didn't see much, but they're definitely dangerous. They think they're liberating people by killing the demons."

"Well, even though it's a bit extreme – to go after demons with the intent of actually killing them – but I kind of get where they're coming from. It must've been really hard for them after Deliora attacked. So I guess they're just trying to save people in their own way." Wendy knew these people were – simply put – crazy, but given what they had been through, it wasn't so surprising, though she absolutely couldn't disagree with them more.

"You don't understand, Wendy." Carla grabbed the young Sky Dragon Slayer's hand with urgency. "They're not just killing demons. They're killing everything related to demons. They think once humans have even come into contact with demons, they're already doomed and beyond saving. So they liberate- no, they kill them before they become a threat." Carla felt the lump in her throat when she remembered the horrifying words from her vision; '-only death will free them-'.

At this, Wendy's eyes widened in panic. "T-then-" She was on her feet now, pacing back and forth as she tried to think of what to do next.

"Calm down, Wendy. Panicking won't help anyone."

"I know!" She raised her voice in frustration, feeling like she was that scared little kid again from a few years back. How could she keep her loved ones safe if they always found themselves in the most dangerous of situations?

"We'll just have to find a way to separate Lucy from that demon."

"But how do we defeat such a Demon, Carla? No matter how many times we defeat it, it'll just come back stronger." Wendy let out a sigh, looking around the vast library and feeling quite disheartened.

"That's Natsu for ya," Happy said as he munched on the fish he had tried to give Carla earlier. The white feline wanted to say something about it not being the time to be eating, but refrained from doing so when she saw Happy's trembling paws. A sympathetic look flashed on her face at the sight of him trying to desperately calm himself down and she almost wanted to hug him and make all his pain go away.

Wendy, however, hadn't noticed Happy's fright, her mind going into overdrive at what he had just said. And as the words truly sunk in, it all suddenly clicked for her and she rushed back to the two Exceeds. "C'mon!" she called, grabbing Happy by the tail as she ran out into the cold city and towards their hotel, Carla following in the air not a moment later.

* * *

**This was absolute hell to write so I hope you're all still happy with the direction this is going. To be honest, I put myself in this difficult position because I had been working on the last few scenes of this story instead of the next chapter.**

**In other words, the ending is pretty much already written, it's just the chapters in between that are still a big mystery.**

**I also wrote this very angsty scene about Lucy, but now that my story has changed a bit, I'm not quite sure if I'll even use it in the future. We'll see. Maybe you get to see it in my other demon story because I'm really pleased with how it's written.**

**About the next update; next week I'll be off from school so I may have a little more time to write, though I fear most of my spare time will be put into school anyway.**

**Just wanted to let you guys know that I may or may not be able to update next Friday. I hope I will, but in case I can't, you'll at least know.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and if you're up to it, let me know what you guys think!**

**Love, Angel!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! **

**It's been a while! I hope everyone's doing alright because I really missed you guys even though it's only been two weeks.**

**I also hope nobody has forgotten about this story in the meantime, but if you have, here's an update to suck you right back in!**

**Alright, so first, I'd like to point out that this chapter was even more difficult to write than the last one and I can't help but get stuck on Natsu's and Lucy's scenes. I was quite disheartened, to be honest, because I had hoped that that things would be easier after chapter 6, but I guess I was wrong.**

**I know what I want you guys to feel when you're reading it, but I somehow can't put it into the correct words in the story.**

**Last week, during my fall break, I ended up with more spare time on my hands than I'd initially thought I would have, but in the end, I wasn't able to write even a decent scene between the two. I constantly ended up adding other scenes and working on other chapters of this story instead of addressing their important make-up scene.**

**On a more positive note, that also means that some of the next chapters might not take me as long to finish since half of them are already written out.**

**So because of all the struggles with this chapter, I decided to take an extra week for this chapter to finetune it (*read*, write it from scratch).**

**I'm still not 100% sure about the NaLu scene in this chapter because I ended up making it fluffier than I wanted it to be, but it's been the best version of yet. And after rereading it like 20 times, I feel comfortable enough with it to upload it. I guess I'll just have to wish upon shooting stars for more inspiration next week. (feel free to join my stargazing activities and help me find a solution)**

**Now, let me also thank you so much for your patience – since it's been two weeks already – and your continued support!**

**To ****grapeytae****, ****Ushindeshi****, ****Uchida Akira****, and ****CuteBubbles****: Thanks for leaving a review, I truly appreciate it!**

**To ****FoodforTHOT****: I'm so glad to hear you read all the chapters in one go! Sorry you had to wait two weeks for an update, though, but I hope this chapter was worth the wait! I've got three deadlines for school next week, but if I get to finish everything on time, I might even upload chapter 8 a bit sooner because I made you – and all the other supporters of this story – wait for so long. Can't make any promises though ;) I would also like to thank you for letting me know you liked the idea of my 'demon hunting town' because I wasn't really sure about that.**

**To ****MollyyyAnne666****: Thank you for leaving yet another review. I'm glad to hear you're still enjoying this story.**

**To ****lovemyrainbowsakura****: Sweetheart, you are absolutely amazing! I just got so excited to hear you were as delighted by my words as I was by yours and I hope we'll be able to share this joy for many chapters (and future stories) to come!  
To be honest, I had absolutely no idea who Ignia was since I hadn't begun reading FT100YQ yet, but once you mentioned the NaLu moment in the new manga, I just couldn't contain my curiosity! So now I'm up to date 'till chapter 39 and I absolutely love it so far! I do have a better sense of how their relationship has developed now and how I will have to end it at the end of this story so it can follow the next manga without it feeling unnatural. So thanks for that!**

**Also, I'd like to welcome all the new supporters of this story! You all joined us during my one week break, but if school eases up a bit on all their extra tasks, I'll be able to update weekly just like before.**

**So to ****FoodforTHOT****, ****MaddielovsNaLu17****, ****anabolic banana****, ****applebitch08****, ****FTAnt****, ****Devansh005****, ****colemanavontay****, ****CuteBubbles****, ****Mermaidnerd456****, ****anonymous900****, ****Nannadahlgaard****, **** .1****, ****Sesshy's****Rose****, ****Zinnia99****, and ****petpermint****: Welcome and please enjoy being part of this wild adventure. It's going to be an angsty ride from now on, though I'll try to include a lot of fluff as well to ease the heartache a bit!**

**Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and sadly never will...**

* * *

**SweetLoveAngel2**

**What Lies Within: Prelude to 100 Year Quest - Chapter 07**

* * *

"Carla, I can't believe I didn't make the connection before!" Wendy huffed as she ran as fast as she could back to the hotel. "Lucy touched the book of-" She promptly shut her mouth when an image of Isvan's mayor popped into her head and she suddenly wondered how wise it would be to openly talk about demons in this peculiar little town.

She took a deep whiff of the cool air, trying to taste the different scents on it as it passed through her system. She looked back at the two felines flying beside her and decided that even though it didn't seem like they were being followed, it was best not to test their luck any more than they already had at the library.

Wendy doubted the old man had heard anything important back there, but she still wondered if his aversion for demons would be strong enough to make him follow them back to their hotel.

She quickly glanced around her, alerting her two companions to be on their guard as well when she realised they might be able to hide their scents since some demons also had very strong noses.

She didn't particularly see or hear anything suspicious, though, nor did she smell the musky scent that had rolled off of that old man before. Just to be safe, however, she continued her explanation in a more cryptic manner than before, hoping that Happy and Carla would understand what she was trying to tell them.

"You know, I didn't see it before, but she tried rewriting Natsu's book." When the two felines only stared at her she just continued, thinking deeply about her choice of words before each sentence to make sure she didn't spill some secrets to anyone who might be eavesdropping on them.

"Don't you see; every time we strike at it, it retaliates with double the force. Just like Natsu does. They're the same. Even now when Natsu is no longer-" She paused a moment to find the appropriate word. "-bent on destroying the world?" She grimaced at the words that left her lips, having trouble understanding what she was saying herself.

She looked at Carla with hopeful eyes, but the little feline wasn't showing any sign of understanding her ramblings. "Look," she said, using her fingers to air quote and emphasize what she was trying to convey, "Natsu was '_his brother's creation_' and '_that creation_' was also Natsu." She tried once again.

"So they both react the same even though they're separated now. That also means Natsu still has an affiliation with that '_thing_' and he can't be harmed by it and vice versa." She paused. "Probably." She smiled weakly at that last part because even though her reasoning seemed plausible, she wasn't entirely sure this was actually the case.

"So what're you saying, Wendy? You think Natsu can stop this '_thing_'?"

Wendy was beyond relieved when Carla had seemed to catch on to what she was trying to say and a big grin appeared on her face as she pushed open the front door to their hotel.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure about it. '_The thing's_' energy can't harm him because it's his own magic. Which means he can simply reabsorb it, right?" Wendy was trying to find some confirmation to her theory from her two companions because she was feeling less and less certain that her solution would work out the way she hoped.

"Natsu can't eat his own flames," Happy chirped in as he flew ahead and pushed the button to summon the elevator. Wendy was glad even the denser feline had understood the topic they were discussing, but his words were quite disheartening. "So how will this work?" Happy turned to Wendy, but quickly abandoned the descending elevator when he saw Wendy run towards the stairs.

As the small feline tried to catch up to her, Wendy threw a glance over her shoulder at him and promptly ran into someone. For a moment, she locked eyes with the weirdly dressed young woman, before she quickly took a quick deep bow and apologized, before continuing on her way, not thinking much of the sudden encounter.

Due to her enhanced hearing, Wendy had heard Happy's question even over all the buzzing that went on in the lobby and her face crunched up in thought. Before she could feel even more dejected by Happy's words, however, Carla spoke up and the small light of hope in her heart was sparked again.

"There's a lot Natsu wasn't supposed to be able to eat, but he always found a way," Carla said, "I'm sure a matter of _can't_ won't be able to stop him from saving Lucy."

"You're right, Carla. Besides, if it doesn't work, we can always go back and search for another solution," Wendy said as she held their hotel key card against the lacrima reader. The lock gave a few clicks before Wendy pushed the door open and was immediately welcomed by her companions' scent.

She frowned, however, when they stepped into an empty room.

"Lushyy," Happy called out as he zipped through the rooms, "we're back!"

"They're not here, Happy." Wendy said as she sniffed the air.

"Do you think something happened?" Happy asked worriedly before he settled on top of Wendy's head, seeking some comfort.

Wendy had been reaching out to him to assure the small feline that she didn't smell anything troubling, when she suddenly jolted into a completely different action.

Wendy had had enough time to hear a woman's voice at the other side of the door that had spoken, saying, "thank you for your unwilling aid. Now sleep," before she heard a body slump to the ground.

Instead of petting Happy reassuringly, she had therefore yanked him off her head, hastily grabbing Carla by her paw as well as she rushed to the sliding window and threw them both off the third story balcony.

Carla – who had barely been able to turn around mid-throw – felt her heart nearly stopping when she saw two black-armoured figures entering their hotel room.

This really made Wendy pick up her pace and the young Dragon Slayer already had one of her feet on the balcony railing, ready to be caught by one of her companions when she sensed the incoming attack.

She turned in haste to put up a protective barrier of wind between them and their assailants, the windows shattering from the shock wave that was produced when their magic clashed.

Her eyes shifted to the other assailant, the woman that had spoken before, and as she locked eyes with striking burgundy ones she realized this couldn't be good news.

"Don't fight us, dear," the voice echoed in her head and Wendy gritted her teeth as she felt her resolve crumble away.

"Go!" she yelled at the two Exceeds, frantic to get her friends out of harm's way before the woman made more use of her magic and was able to take full control of her. Carla wanted to protest, but one determined look from Wendy had her comply to her friend's wishes as she let Happy drag her off to safety.

* * *

Lucy's mind was spinning and she suddenly regretted having exerted herself so much. As much as she wanted to just stop heaving, her body refused to listen to her commands and continued to betray her.

She felt the bile rise up from her stomach and she had to swallow a few times to forcefully push it back down. This resulted in her stomach flipping over in some of the most uncomfortable ways.

She groaned a bit before she realized Natsu had been talking to her.

She had almost forgotten that he was there and she chuckled at the unusual fact that he'd been right about her being in no condition to go out. She ran her hand through her hair in a tired motion, but her right arm was feeling so heavy she worried she'd topple over at any second.

As she looked up into his eyes, the worry had clearly replaced the surprise she had seen on his face before and she realised he'd asked her a question.

"W-what?" she choked out and a sympathetic smile crept on his face when he placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her wobbly frame.

"Maybe you should sit down," she heard him say, but his voice seemed muffled by some kind of barrier, making it really hard to discern the words leaving his lips. She nodded weakly once his suggestion reached her and he helped ease her onto the frozen wooden bench. Lucy didn't even notice the cold anymore, her mind getting hazier by the second. It seemed as if a fog had been slowly rolling in, clouding her mind and disconnecting her from the outside world somehow.

Images of fire and destruction flashed before her eyes and she felt her heart constrict painfully at the memory of Natsu's fight with Gray. Something was definitely wrong, she thought, as she felt the pulse pound through her system and suddenly the fear of losing Natsu had been replaced by another kind of fear entirely.

Was she running out of time?

"Lucy? What's wrong? Is it your fever again?" Natsu's voice had raised an octave in panic, but when she looked up at him with such terror reflected in her eyes, he cleared his throat, forcing himself to stay calm.

He glanced around, trying to think of something that might help her, but all he saw were artisanal shops and he couldn't help but feel utterly lost.

"Should I go find Gray? Though I don't know how long it'll take before I'm able to sniff him out," he thought out loud. "Maybe Wendy's the quicker option then." He turned around, looking at the massive tower of the library building that soared above the small houses in the distance.

He was ready to set off in that direction, when Lucy's hand grabbed hold of his sleeved arm and he turned back to face her. The expression on her face said it all, and Natsu felt a pang of guilt course through him as the look in her eyes pleaded, don't leave me _again_.

This hit home hard for Natsu and it utterly destroyed him. He suddenly had the urge to pull her into a bone crushing hug, but the slight tremble of her gloved fingers tugging on his sleeve had him abandon the idea and he released a deep sigh.

"Are you cold?" he asked, reaching out to touch her cheek, but stopped short of making contact. He grumbled at himself for caring so much about Gray and his inability to hurt his rival, even with such trivial things as touching his girlfriend.

The short puffs of breath Lucy let out fanned his palm and he retreated his hand quickly before he could do something stupid. He crouched down before her and she switched her hand to his shoulder to keep herself steady as he pulled her jacket tighter around her.

Lucy watched him with a distant look in her eyes as he fumbled with the top button for a few seconds before he lost his patience. He grumbled something under his breath again, but Lucy wasn't paying enough attention to hear the complaining words that left his lips.

"Everything's, going to be alright, Lucy," he reassured her as he got to his feet. He then pulled her hood over her head and pushed her against him in an awkward hug before he lost the nerve to do so.

His cheeks were bright red and he felt stupid for going about it this way. Lucy, however, could barely contain the feelings that were stirring in her stomach, the dark clouds in her mind slowly being pushed away by Natsu's warmth.

She closed her eyes, snuggling her cheek against him, trying to get closer to the warm skin beneath the soft coat he was wearing. A silly smile crept up her face as she welcomed his attempt at making her realise he wasn't planning on going anywhere.

"Thank you," she whispered, feeling the uneasiness and fear seep out of her bones until there was barely a trace left.

Natsu smiled softly down at her, but something at the back of his mind was nagging at him and even though Lucy appeared to be doing better now, he couldn't help but still feel anxious.

Natsu had realised a long time ago that people's scents were subjected to change when they were sick, but the way Lucy's scent had so drastically changed suddenly, was making him more on edge by the second.

With each passing moment, Natsu felt as if Lucy's scent was being pushed aside by the illness that was taking over and it definitely didn't sit well with him.

What truly unsettled him, however, was the fact that she had begun to smell more and more like his brother.

* * *

**So, what did you guys think?**

**As you've probably noticed, I'm still not fully addressing their fears and feelings, but that's just because I still have no idea how to resolve this problem the way I want it to be resolved.**

**It's very frustrating because I know what I want, but I just can't write it somehow.**

**So I would greatly appreciate it if you could inspire me some more with your reviews. I just know that Natsu and Lucy need to talk – truly talk – about this; their fears, their feelings, their goals and plans… but I also know Natsu has trouble dealing with confronting a lot, if not all, of this.**

**I do already have a scene written out where Natsu finally finds out about Gray and Lucy not being together, but I'm not sure where I'll put this scene yet. So maybe you'll get to read it next chapter, or maybe in 2 or 3 chapters, who knows ;)**

**Also, I came to a decision about the angsty scene about Lucy – the one I mentioned a while ago – and I'm pretty sure I'll be using it in the near future. On the 31****st**** I went to a Halloween night, which featured 3 inspiring horror movies that made me make up my mind on this angsty scene.**

**Small warning, I haven't really attempted to write horror before so it might end up just being angsty.**

**Important note****: from next week onwards, I'll be having an extra class on my Friday mornings, so I'm moving my upload-day to the weekend; either Saturday or Sunday at the latest, though I don't think you'll really be bothered by this change since I already tend to upload on Saturdays. **

**Thanks for the read and until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys!**

**Warning: a lot of complaining will ensue.**

_**So I had a really horrible and stressful week. Again. I had the most difficult assignment about business culture that just chipped away at my will to live. Next, I had this interview/presentation thing for my internship with TUI and I've never been so stressed out in my life. (On a more positive note, my presentation went well and I think I did leave a good impression! They'll give me a call next Tuesday to tell me whether I can join their team or not! So wish me luck!)**_

_**Then I had to attend this meeting about sustainable tourism (which was alright), but it started at 8:30 in Brussels. Following that, I had to go on a mandatory field trip of some sorts to Aalst (for those of you who don't know, I live in Belgium) and it was utterly useless because all we did was walk around in the cold outside until well after 18:30! It took me 3 trains to finally get back from the middle of nowhere (a town called Erebodegem) to my dorm at around 20:00 and then I still had to eat and prepare for my class on Friday morning. It was utterly exhausting and other deadlines for my bachelorthesis and seminar are fast approaching as well.**_

_**Tomorrow, I have to give a presentation about the business me and my group are creating for our bachelorthesis, and it's far from finished. (We're trying to create an ecological hotel that caters to not only humans, but to dogs as well. Think about excursions for dogs, tailored rooms and food, …) So if any of you happen to be a heritage architect, please let me know!**_

**That being said, I didn't have any writer's block this week, although I didn't have the time to write until today. Luckily, I already had a lot of this chapter written, so it didn't take me that long to finish this one today.**

**To FoodforTHOT: Thanks again for helping me out and lending a listening ear to my writing ramblings! I really love your input and thoughts so keep 'em coming!**

**To Ushindeshi, heyitsmeduhnat, and CuteBubbles: Thanks for leaving your thoughts! I really enjoyed reading your reviews!**

**To ****Nocte Draconis**** and ****caro6907****: By favoriting and following this story you officially made this the most popular story that I've uploaded so far and I truly feel so blessed with all your support! So thank you so very much!**

**To ****emmibearnac****, ****wunderlove****, ****NatsuLucy4ev3r****, ****LizziMarie****, ****Lau01****, ****sanicraftprogamer****, ****UpHisSleevies****, ****WhatAnimeHasTaughtMe****, ****kasuhime****, and ****MaddiJaneThe14thDoctor****: Thanks for joining this story and for helping it grow even more in popularity!**

**This chapter is way longer than what I usually upload, but I couldn't quite decide on where to end it.**

**Hopefully, you like this chapter. It certainly was fun writing and rereading it so I do hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail and sadly never will...**

* * *

**SweetLoveAngel2**

**What Lies Within: Prelude to 100 Year Quest - Chapter 08**

* * *

_**Dedicated to caro6907 and Nocte Draconis for making this my number one story!**_

"Gray-sama?" Juvia questioned, grabbing hold of Gray's arm when he didn't react to her voice. "What's wrong?"

Gray jerked, as if Juvia had violently pulled him from his thoughts, and he frowned deeply before he turned around.

Juvia followed his gaze back to the horizon, where they could just make out the big library tower through the thickening fog that was rolling over the city. Worry overtook her features, but she didn't have the chance to voice them because Gray had already taken her hand in his and was pulling her along as he rushed back to the small town down in the valley.

"I hope I'm wrong, but I thought I sensed a demon."

Those words were enough for Juvia to pick up the pace as well. Judging from the concerned look on Gray's face, he too, had been worried about their blonde comrade, but she tried to ease the tenseness in his frame despite her own mind jumping to horrible scenarios.

"Natsu-san's there too." She had meant it reassuringly, but as the words left her lips, she couldn't help but feel the uneasiness seep in too.

Gray had noticed the deep frown on her face as well and said, "exactly," knowing full well that Natsu often – on more occasions than one – was the one at the root of the problems they encountered.

In the meanwhile, Natsu had been trying to get up his nerves to ask Lucy about the type of illness that was making her so sick. Usually, he didn't think about these types of things so seriously, but now, he couldn't help but feel the need to go at this more delicately, especially since it seemed to involve his brother somehow.

After all his experience dealing with his older brother, Natsu had learned that Zeref's involvement didn't bode well for him or Fairy Tail and it often lead to people getting hurt.

He took in a deep breath, feeling a bit conflicted because it felt like his brother was still messing with him even after he'd passed.

A frown then crept on Natsu's face as he took another deep inhale of the foggy air around them. He'd been in such deep thought that he hadn't noticed the familiar airy smell in the wind before, but he promptly turned his head to look for the younger Dragon Slayer at the realisation.

He saw her standing a bit further away and an amused grin spread across his lips when she seemed to be in a daze as well, staring blankly in front of her.

"Oi, Wendy!" Natsu called out, and Lucy lifted her head slowly from against him to follow his gaze to their small companion.

Wendy slowly turned her head and Natsu had to resist a chuckle when he thought about the possibility of her being affected by this region's cold atmosphere. She even seemed to walk more stiffly than usual – as if the freezing cold had been hindering her normal movements.

"Where's Happy?" Lucy asked in a muffled voice, her cheek still pressed up against Natsu.

"And Carla?" the older slayer added as he noticed how utterly miserable Wendy looked. He reached out his hand and pulled Wendy into their weird hug, saying, "C'mere, you look like a frozen dragon popsicle."

The warmth definitely made Wendy perk up a bit and Lucy smiled as she wrapped her arm around the younger Fairy Tail member as well.

Wendy blinked a couple of times before she abruptly pulled away again, sputtering out a, "I'm so sorry for interrupting!" as pink tinted her cheeks.

Lucy flushed as well, suddenly very aware of how this might've looked and she pulled away from Natsu as well, clearing her throat a bit awkwardly.

"D-don't go imagining weird stuff, Wendy. Nothing's going on," she quickly squeaked out, avoiding eye contact with Natsu.

The Fire Dragon Slayer obviously had no idea what was going on, instead asking again where the two Exceeds were at.

"Oh," Wendy replied, "they're leading this old man on a wild goose chase around town." Wendy grinned, giving herself a big thumbs up for her clever thinking, though Natsu had no idea why she seemed so proud of herself because Lucy had scolded him more than once when he tried messing with older people. A particularly nasty reprimand from Erza had him remembering a painful bump on his head and he subconsciously rubbed the spot with his fingers, a horrified grimace on his face.

When Wendy noticed Natsu's look, she immediately flushed and quickly lowered her hand, embarrassed that she'd done something so silly.

Natsu glanced at Lucy, waiting to see her reaction to what their young partner had said, and when Lucy only smiled bemusedly, Natsu grinned as well.

The warm hand on her head had Wendy blinking a few times in confusion as Natsu told her, "don't know what ya did, but good job I guess," giving her a thumbs up as well. This made an ear-splitting grin appear on her face again and she couldn't help but laugh.

When Lucy's chuckle turned into a fit of coughs, both Natsu and Wendy fussed around her. Natsu had nearly cut off Lucy's airway some more when he pulled her closer against him, while Wendy's hand had went straight to the blonde's forehead, feeling if she'd been running a temperature.

Lucy flinched back at Wendy's frozen hands and she nearly toppled over, but Natsu's fast reflexes had held her on the bench against him.

"Easy there, Wendy." Natsu laughed, but when she didn't react, a frown slipped on his face. "What's wrong?" His tone went from amused to serious in a heartbeat, and Lucy felt her heart skip a beat at the deep sound that had come from Natsu's throat.

"Why weren't you at the hotel?" Wendy asked.

The seriousness in Natsu's voice made way for self-preservation and he threw Lucy under the bus almost without second thought; "Lucy made me!"

Lucy pouted up at Natsu when he flashed her a toothy grin, but she couldn't help but chuckle at this. To be quite honest, she felt more at ease with him being his usual dorky self so she played along with his antics.

"How can you say that?" She let out an exaggerated sound of indignation before she turned to Wendy. "This big, mean dragon was the one that forced me to come and play with him. I'm just an innocent captive who was forced to do his bidding." She looked coyly back at Natsu, challenging him with her eyes.

Natsu, however, forgot how to breathe for a moment and he felt his mouth go dry at the images swirling in his head.

Oh how he wished he could make her do his bidding.

Lucy frowned in amusement at the shocked look on her partner's face, letting out a soft laugh when it seemed she'd broken the Slayer somehow.

"We need to get you back inside right now," Wendy urged, not even bothering to address her companions' antics and Natsu felt his blood run cold at the distress she tried to hide.

Natsu helped Lucy to her feet and was ready to carry her back when Wendy turned to him. "Natsu, I need you to go find Gray." She then glanced at Lucy, her shivering frame held up by Natsu's strong arms.

Natsu wanted to protest, not wanting to leave her side, but the look in Wendy's eyes made him relent. He turned to Lucy, fixing her hood since it had slipped off a bit, and pulled her in for a very quick hug.

"I won't be long, okay."

Lucy didn't even have the time to react before he pulled away and turned on his heels, dashing in the other direction. Lucy stared at his retreating back, the familiar smoky smell still lingering around her from when she had her nose briefly buried in his neck.

* * *

Natsu ran around frantically, searching for Gray and Juvia with a desperation he had only ever experienced once before. The painful memory blocked up all his senses, the sight of his father falling from the sky etched into his mind with so much detail, he could feel his heart nearly give out again.

Even though Wendy had seemed to be calm, he could see the nervousness and urgency in her body language. So when she had been so adamant that he needed to go search for Gray, he couldn't help but feel his bones shake.

Natsu wasn't one to get scared easily, though the lesson Gildarts had taught him was something he'd never forget. This, however, was a totally different kind of fear, but it was strong enough to make his body shut down just the same.

As much as he tried sniffing out his friends' scents, he couldn't focus long enough to pick up on a trail, the images of death and loss shrouding his mind in pain and despair and all he could think about was Lucy.

What if he wasn't fast enough?

He thought back to the day his father had been taken from him by Acnologia and the jolt that shot through his body nearly made him stumble to the ground. If he'd just stayed by his father's side, maybe he-

No.

Natsu shook his head, forcing the thoughts out of his mind, willing them to disappear back into the box he'd put them in back then.

It'd been a long time since those thoughts had surfaced and he suddenly felt like curling up in a ball again. He wanted to get away from that darkness, but this time, he couldn't just drown himself in training. He couldn't shut down because there were still people who needed him.

Lucy needed him.

But to be honest, there wasn't much Natsu could really do.

This thought made him stop dead in his tracks and he felt utterly useless and defeated. His hands started shaking and he had to steady himself on a nearby fountain to not topple over.

His breathing came out in white puffs and he felt himself shiver a bit when he saw his reddening fingers dig into the snow covered base of the fountain, revealing dark and cold stones beneath when his heat melted away the white blanket it had been covered in.

His heart sunk some more when he realised that Gray was probably the only one that could truly help Lucy at the moment and he felt even more frustrated by that.

He wasn't an idiot, and he'd already been able to put two and two together, realising – albeit a bit late – that Lucy hadn't been _just_ sick. She was being affected by dark magic, and although he had no idea when or how that had happened, it didn't even really matter at all right now.

What did matter was getting her better and he hated that he was forced to stay on the side-lines for that.

"Natsu-san!" He heard his name, but his mind was still in too much of a turmoil to even acknowledge the young Water Mage as she came running towards him. "Is everything alright?" she called from afar.

He honestly didn't even know what to answer and he flinched a bit when the frozen water from the fountain started cracking from his heat. He swallowed thickly, trying to reign in his distress as he straightened to face Gray and Juvia.

Even though it hurt, Gray would at least be able to help Lucy in ways he couldn't and that thought soothed him a bit.

"Did something happen? Where's Lucy? How is she?" Gray panted as he came to a stop in front of the big fountain on the town square, releasing Juvia's hand to steady his own on his knees as he tried to get more air into his lungs.

This action made something snap inside Natsu, however, and Gray could clearly see the abrupt change on his friend's face.

Natsu was absolutely livid and he had to hold himself back from punching Gray in the face.

Gray didn't deserve Lucy. Natsu wasn't too sure he deserved her kindness himself, not after he'd hurt her so badly, but now he was certain that Gray would never be good enough for her either.

After all Lucy's been through – after all the hardships, the loss, the pain – he couldn't stand seeing her get hurt again.

Natsu couldn't do anything to help Lucy, but Gray could. He hated it, but he'd accepted it somehow because at least Lucy's got someone to take care of her now. But it was pretty clear Gray wasn't there for her either and Lucy deserved so much more than that.

"If you'd stayed by her side, you'd know how she's doing." Natsu gritted, his tone making Gray even more on edge than he'd already been.

"That's rich coming from someone who left her a note and then disappeared for a year!" Gray spat back, feeling the worry from before morph into tension and anger at his friend's accusing words. "If she hadn't been working in Crocus, would you even have cared to go see her?"

The utter look of pain on Natsu's features had Gray flinching back a bit and he could feel the guilt stir in his chest at the harsh words he'd thrown at his friend.

Juvia sucked in a deep breath, not knowing how to defuse this situation at all as she fisted her hands in her jacket. She stepped forward, creating a barrier between the two, worrying they'd be at each other's throat if she didn't.

"Y-you know how much it hurt!" Natsu raised his voice, the anger flaring up around him in hot bursts, but Juvia hadn't missed the crack in his voice as he spoke and she wondered absentmindedly if he was talking about Lucy or himself.

"So be better," Natsu continued, "she needs you so don't let her be alone anymore!" The words tumbled out of his mouth without his consent and he snapped his jaw closed and turned away, frustrated more with himself than with Gray.

Before Gray could say anything else, Juvia placed a caring hand on Natsu's shoulder, giving him a squeeze to convey her feelings. Natsu seemed to literally deflate at her touch, the raging emotions leaking out of him.

A long silence ensued and Juvia had to hold her breath in fear of setting either of her friends off again.

"Lucy's with Wendy," Natsu finally said in a much calmer tone and Gray wondered for a second if Juvia was working her magic on him to douse Natsu's fire. "She asked me to come look for you because I think Lucy's getting worse."

"If Wendy's with her, she'll be fine." Gray let out a relieved sigh, fearing Lucy had already been consumed by the darkness that was trying to take over her body. "So stop worrying so much."

This seemed to irk Natsu and Juvia felt him heat up again beneath her palm. She squeaked and quickly threw her hands around the Slayer, hugging him awkwardly from the side in an attempt to save her love from an attack.

Natsu didn't understand, not even noticing Juvia's actions as he tried to figure out his friend's reasoning.

"Damn it, Gray, your girlfriend needs you!" Natsu yelled in frustration, seemingly unbothered by Juvia's attempt to keep him at bay as she was dragged forward when Natsu stepped up closer to Gray.

Gray subconsciously glanced at Juvia and she nearly felt her heart jump out of chest, a deep blush coating her cheeks as she released Natsu in a heartbeat. Gray seemed to realise his actions when he noticed her flushed face, clearing his throat and forcing his eyes back on Natsu's.

"What'dya mean?" he said as he shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to keep his fingers from fidgeting.

"Lucy! You know, your _other _girlfriend?!" Natsu had grabbed Gray by his necklace – since Gray had lost his shirt somewhere along the way – and got up in his face as the anger reached an all-time high.

This violently pulled Juvia back from the steamy fantasies that had occupied her wild mind and she visibly blanched at the words. "G-Gray-sama's what now?"

"Seriously," Gray grit out, seemingly very tired of his friend's stupidity, though he didn't make any effort to get the fuming dragon out of his face. "How the hell could that weirdo be my girlfriend?"

"Huh?" The tenseness in Natsu's shoulders eased as the confusion crept on his face. "So, she's not your second girlfriend?"

"What the hell, dude. I don't even have a first girlfriend!" Gray blushed a bit, trying hard not to make eye contact with Juvia.

"But at your house I heard- And on the train Juvia said-" Natsu stopped, shutting his mouth with a snap. Had he just imagined it? No, the churning feeling in his gut told him he certainly hadn't. His eyes locked with Gray's confused stare and he tried to discern whether or not his rival was lying to him.

Gray got quite annoyed by the stare, even more so since Natsu was still invading his private bubble. Before Gray could even make his irritation known, Natsu suddenly let out an animalistic grunt as he pulled at his hair in frustration.

Then he just lost it. "What kind of relationship do you guys have?!" He tried to stop his mind from coming up with weird images of the three of them as he shook his head violently to rid himself of the compromising thoughts.

Natsu got up even closer in Gray's face and if Juvia's thoughts hadn't been elsewhere, she would've probably declared Natsu as a new love rival.

"Dude, don't get your panties in a twist, we're just friends," Gray said as he pushed his rambling friend's face back so he could let out his annoyed sigh. Natsu had been pushed to the ground, the warmth seeping from his body already starting to melt the layers of snow beneath him.

"Though Gray-sama never quite rejected Juvia's friends with benefits suggestion," Juvia quickly added, a teasing smile now on her face as she added fuel to the already large fire.

"You're not helping the situation now, are you." Gray scowled as he turned to her.

"Isn't it fun?" Juvia giggled, seemingly very amused by the whole situation now and Gray couldn't help but grin back at her as he pulled her fluffy hood over her head and ruffled her hair with it. Natsu could hear the soft static that was produced as Juvia's locks started to stick to her face and he wondered if it had looked just as intimate when he'd done something similar to Lucy earlier.

"Well, stop it, before Happy gets wind of it or he won't shut up about it." Juvia could only laugh harder at that and Natsu stared up at their interaction. He frowned, crossing his legs as he thought back to all the gut-wrenching moments he had actually _seen_ between Lucy and Gray.

Gray had indeed never reacted this carefree and giddy around Lucy and he suddenly felt very stupid for not realising it earlier, though at the time, he had thought that their relationship had simply been different and maybe more mature than Gray's relationship with the Water Mage.

To be brutally honest, Natsu didn't even quite know how a regular romantic relationship worked, let alone a relationship that involved three people.

"You okay?" Gray asked as he crouched in front of Natsu.

Natsu hummed in reply, a frown still plastered on his face. "Just thinking about something."

"It's that bad, huh?"

Natsu's eyes snapped to Gray's with a murderous glare, but he eased a bit when he saw the worry on his friend's face.

"You really thought Lucy and I were a thing?" Gray asked in a quiet voice, knowing how much that must've hurt Natsu. Gray wasn't an idiot and anyone could see how madly in love Lucy and Natsu were with each other. It suddenly also dawned on him that this must've been the reason why Natsu had been so irritated lately and why he'd been acting so strange this entire time.

"I just thought- You know, you seemed closer than normal."

At this, Gray sat down in the snow next to Natsu, a frown on his face now as well and his pants now gone too. His mind wandered back to the last couple of weeks, trying to remember if he and Lucy did act closer than normal.

Sure, Lucy might have been more relying of Gray ever since those side effects started to rear their ugly heads, but aside from that, it was obvious who Lucy liked.

Right?

Natsu's words had also prompted Juvia to think about it, and she crouched down next to her two companions as well, her mind deep in thought.

Gray and Lucy had indeed shared that secret together and they did have to meet up several times for Gray to be able to help her, but Juvia never really noticed any romantic looks or glances. Besides, Lucy wasn't even interested in her Gray-sama, that much she knew for certain or else her 'love rival radar' would've gone off.

Juvia glanced back at Natsu, a thought suddenly entering her head.

"Say, Natsu-san, who does Natsu-san think Lucy-san likes?"

Gray perked up at that question, his own thoughts cut off in favour of listening to Natsu's answer.

"Well," Natsu started, "I never really thought about it before. She didn't really seem all that interested in relationships lately. Though I guess that was because of the war and all because she used to go on a lot of dates when she first joined Fairy Tail, remember? I wonder why that suddenly stopped, though. It's not like we were always saving the world and there must've been time for her to go on dates, right?"

Juvia stared at her friend with a blank expression. How could someone be _this_ dense?

"Do you want her to go on dates?" Gray asked, and for a moment, he thought he'd gotten through to the Dragon Slayer when he saw Natsu jerk at the question. Natsu, however, only frowned after that and went silent, searching for an answer.

"I guess it just depends on the person she's going with, you know?" he finally answered.

Gray nearly facepalmed himself. How could he not figure out that he was in love with her?!

"And what do you think that means?" Gray asked through gritted teeth, trying hard not to just knock some sense into him.

This prompted Natsu to continue his thinking process and the expression on his face had Juvia worry for his health. Natsu was clearly struggling with all this relationship stuff and the young Water Mage couldn't help but feel sympathetic for him.

"Why are you guys all sitting here in the snow?"

Carla's voice made Gray and Juvia look up at the small feline as she hovered above them, her hands on her hips and a disapproving look on her face.

"Thinking," was all Natsu said as he continued to wrack his brain.

"Something bad must've happened then, huh?" Carla said as she released her wings and landed softly in the snow. Juvia couldn't help but snicker at Carla's words, but Natsu didn't seem amused at all, a deep scowl appearing on his face when he looked at the white feline.

"He's trying to figure out why he felt so crappy when he thought Lucy was my girlfriend."

"That's obvious, isn't it?" Carla didn't even question the weirdness of that sentence. "It's because – how would that tomcat say it? – it's because _you liiiiiike her_." She rolled her tongue with the words and earned an approving look from Gray at her ability to imitate Happy so well.

"Well," Natsu said, all heads turning to him in hopes of him finally realising what they had all already known. "that's a given. Of course I like her. But I don't quite see how that's relevant here. I mean, I like Wendy and Juvia too. I even-" Natsu looked at Gray for a moment, but then visibly cringed, earning a punch to the face from Gray.

This started a wrestling match that involved a lot of soggy snow being thrown about and a lot of yelling.

Carla sighed in defeat, no longer having the energy to say something about their manners. "Speaking of Lucy, where is she?"

"She's fine, I guess," Natsu spoke in between dodging fists from Gray, not truly convinced quite yet that she was indeed fine without Gray's help. "Wendy's taking care of her back at the hotel."

Carla's eyes widened in terror and the reaction halted the fight between the boys immediately. The next words she uttered in a trembling voice had the entire group go quiet.

"That wasn't Wendy."

* * *

**So, what did you guys think?**

**I initially wanted to include a lot more in this chapter, but I felt like it would be too much in one go. I already think this chapter is a bit too long, but I just couldn't stop myself from typing so much.**

**Hope you liked it!**

**Next weekend I have to go on another mandatory excursion for school on Saturday so I don't know if I'll be able to work on chapter 9 and if it'll be ready on Sunday. We'll see how my week goes.**

**Thanks again for the support and the read!**

**Until next time!**

**Love, Angel!**

**Update: my gosh, there were a lot of spelling mistakes! I'm so sorry! I fixed them, but I hope it didn't distract too much!**


End file.
